


Under New Management

by Thanos6



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Ignores Dragon Ball GT, Ignores Dragon Ball Super, M/M, Married Couple, One True Pairing, Truten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13618290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thanos6/pseuds/Thanos6
Summary: Trunks has taken over the running of Capsule Corp. Goten helps; as his secretary, as his executive assistant, and as his husband. A series of vignettes.





	1. Dinner Party

Trunks suppressed a yawn.

Despite his complete lack of interest in business, he had done his familial duty and taken over the running of Capsule Corp., just as his mother had done before him.  And so many of his new responsibilities were, to put it bluntly, boring.

Negotiating contracts?  Boring.

Reviewing financial documents and profit forecasts?  Boring.

Chairing board meetings?  Boring.

But the most boring thing he had to do was going to parties like these.  Not fun parties, but tedious soirees, full of snobby rich “high society” types making shallow small talk and gossip.  The food wasn’t anything to write home about either, just tiny little hors d’oeuvres.  Not nearly enough to satisfy a hungry demi-Saiyan.  Once this was over, he and Goten would have to go eat a real meal.

Goten.  For their entire lives, they had been best friends; then their relationship had deepened further and they had become lovers.  Less than two years ago, they had gotten married.

He was so grateful for him.  Not only was he his soulmate, but as his secretary and executive assistant, he was helping him run Capsule Corp.  It made the burden bearable.  He didn’t know what he’d do without him.

Right now, they had gotten separated and were on other sides of the room.  Trunks sighed inwardly.  He would be so glad when they could take their leave.  Get out of these uncomfortable clothes, eat to their hearts’ content, and spend some precious time alone together.  Son Goten Briefs and Son Trunks Briefs, just the two of them.  That was what he needed.

Feeling a pressure in his abdomen, he excused himself from the current knot of socialites whose babble he was tuning out and made his way to the bathroom.  As the golden stream flowed, his mind wandered.  He didn’t think he could handle much more of this.  He was going to grab Goten so they could start making their exit.  Hopefully with grace, but certainly with haste.

The stream died down.  He washed his hands and stepped out of the bathroom, but before he could start looking for his husband, he heard something from the women’s bathroom that made him pause.

“So what do you think of Son-Briefs?”  Someone was talking about him.  When the topic was that interesting, he couldn’t resist eavesdropping.  Leaning against the wall, he cocked his head and listened.

“Yes he does insist on that name, doesn’t he?” another woman said, and Trunks could practically hear her rolling her eyes.  “I don’t know why he makes such a big to-do of them taking each other’s family names.”

“I think it’s rather sweet.”

“That’s your opinion,” the second woman said, her tone making it clear what she thought of that opinion.  “I can’t stand the man.  Or his mother.  They’re not truly refined.  They didn’t even have money until his grandfather started their company.”  Trunks nearly let out a loud snort.  He’d never understood the attitude that said old money was better.  Money wasn’t wine or cheese, it didn’t get better with age.

There was a brief pause.  He got the impression the first woman was trying to find some non-controversial topic of discussion.  “He’s certainly handsome, you can’t argue with that.”

“Oh, yes, he’s handsome.  That’s what makes his behavior all the more inexplicable.  He’s that handsome, he has that much money, he could have his choice of whoever he wants.  But look who he marries.”

Trunks’s eyes narrowed.

“Some impoverished _hick_ from out in the woods!” the second woman continued.

“Haven’t they been friends since childhood?”

“And how did _that_ happen, anyway?  I don’t know how Bulma Briefs met him, but she must have taken pity and let him play with her son.  You know, they say their hobby is fighting like common street hooligans.  What a lapse in judgment.  That’s why you don’t mingle with the lower classes.  Look what it leads to.”

Trunks could feel his blood turning into fire.  He almost barged into the women’s bathroom to give her a piece of his mind.  Insult him, sure, he was fine with that.  It would just bounce right off him.  But no one, _no one_ , insulted Goten while he was around.

“Well, I think they make a cute couple.  They both seem very nice.  And quite sexy, as well.”

“Is that so?” the second woman said, her tone going even icier.  “I hear they like to find other men and loose women and take them home for shameless debauchery.  So you might be in luck.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I really should be going.”

Trunks jerked back and took several quick steps away from the bathroom doors, half-turning away.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a severe-looking older woman step out, walking past without noticing him.  A few seconds later, another woman followed exited.  She was about his age, perhaps a couple of years older.  She looked embarrassed and more than a little aggravated. 

“Excuse me,” he said before she could pass by, putting on his best charming smile.  “I happened to overhear the conversation you just had.” 

She blushed lightly.  “I’m so sorry you had to hear that!”

“Don’t worry about it.  Actually, I wanted to thank you for defending my husband and me.  Son Trunks Briefs,” he said, formally introducing himself and offering his hand.

“Phoebe,” she replied, shaking his hand.

“Who was the lady you were arguing with?”

“She’s no lady, she’s my Aunt Leona,” Phoebe said with a small laugh.

The name sparked a recollection.  “The Leona who owns Yokubari?”  Yokubari was a chain of hotels that catered to the upper-class.

“The same.”

“Is she always that mean?”

“No.  Usually she’s worse.  She was being nice to me because I’m her only living relative.”

“That was _nice_?”

“Once when we were inspecting one of her hotels, she thought she saw a stain on the lobby floor.  I didn’t see anything myself.  She made the manager lick it until she was satisfied it was clean.”

Trunks let out a whistle.  His father could certainly be a stern taskmaster, but even Vegeta wasn’t that bad.

“I wish there was a way to teach her a lesson,” Phoebe continued.  “But she owns 49% of the stock in the company, I only own 2%.  If I tried to do anything to go against her she’d disinherit me.”

“From the way you talk, I’m amazed she even let you have 2%.”

“It’s a tax loophole thing.”

“Ah.”  He could feel the cogs in his mind turning.  “You say you want to teach her a lesson?  I tell you what.”  He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her.  “I’m getting an idea, but I’m afraid I need to take my leave.  Call me tomorrow and we’ll set up a lunch appointment sometime soon to work out the details.”

Phoebe’s eyebrows went up, but she nodded and dropped the card in her purse.  “Talk to you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it.  And Phoebe?”

“Yes?”

“Not everything your aunt said was wrong.”  He winked at her.  After a second, she worked it out, and blushed again, but laughed.  She was still laughing as she turned and walked away.

“What was all that about?” Goten said, walking up to him from behind.

“I’ll tell you later.  Want to get out of here and get some real food?”

“I was just gonna ask you that.  What are you up to?” he added.

“What makes you think I’m up to anything?” he replied innocently.

“You have that smirk on your face.  I know that smirk.  That’s your ‘I’m planning something’ smirk.  One day I’m gonna see that smirk on your face and then find out you’ve taken over the world or something.”

Trunks chuckled and kissed his husband on the cheek.  “I’ll tell you while we eat.  The Timber Mill Steakhouse should still be open.  Is that enough of a bribe to keep you silent about my schemes for world domination?”

“You power-hungry monster, you’ll never keep me from talking!”

“I think they’re still doing All You Can Eat.”

“On the other hand, the world would probably be better off with you in charge.”

_-S-B-_

One morning, Leona arrived at Yokubari corporate headquarters.  It was a week and a half since the party.  She did a double-take as she parked her air car.  Her niece Phoebe was standing outside the entrance.  So was the Son-Briefs couple, as well as about a dozen reporters and one or two policemen.

“What’s going on here?” she snapped as she marched up to them.  Trunks turned to face her with a grin.

“Leona!  I’m so glad to see you!  Now that you’re here, we can tell everyone the good news!”

“What good news, that you’re stepping down from your position?”

Trunks’s grin just got wider, and he turned back to the cameras.  “That Leona, such a kidder!  I’m here to announce that Capsule Corp. is now the proud owner of Yokubari!”

Leona shoved her way in front of the cameras, right next to his face.  “What are you talking about?!  **I** own Yokubari!”

“Not anymore, you don’t,” he replied coolly.  “As of today, Capsule Corp. owns a majority of the stock.”

“You’re delusional!  I own 51% of the shares!”

“I’m afraid not.  I bought out all your other stockholders.”

She gritted her teeth.  “They wouldn’t have sold to you.”

“They would when I offered them 30 million zeni per share.”  That was over a thousand times what Yokubari stock normally sold for.  “And a guarantee that I would continue to pay them, for the next five years, out of my own money, the dividends they would have made if they had continued to own the stock themselves.  You might call yourself rich, but compared to how deep my pockets are?  You may as well live in a cardboard box.”

She jabbed a finger in his face.  “But even if they all sold to you, that would still only get you 49%!  I own the other 51%!”

Phoebe spoke up.  “No you don’t, Aunt Leona.  You own 49%.  I own 2%, remember?  Or at least, I _did_ own 2%.”

It took a moment for the realization to hit.  “You betrayed me?” she shrieked.  “You betrayed your family?  To this…this…new money?!”

“New money buys stuff just as well!” Goten piped in, cheerfully.

“You were the one who betrayed what the family stood for, when you started treating everyone else like slaves,” Phoebe said.

Leona hissed.  “I still have enough money to make your life miserable,” she told her niece.

“I doubt it,” Trunks said.  “See, Phoebe told me about some of the dubious accounting and tax procedures you’ve been engaging in, so I notified the government about them, as is my duty as Yokubari’s new owner.  They’re going to investigate the company’s financial records to make sure everything is legal, and I expect they’ll freeze your bank accounts while they do so.”

Leona shrieked louder, and lunged for his throat.  The police officers nearby grabbed and restrained her as she started shouting profanity.

“And that, I believe, is attempted assault,” Trunks continued as she was handcuffed.  “Recorded by a dozen news cameras, and yes, I would like to press charges.”  He leaned in close to her.  “While you’re in a holding cell, you’ll have plenty of time to think about how this unrefined hooligan and his hick of a husband ruined you.”  He turned away from her.  “Shall we go?” he asked Goten and Phoebe.

Goten nodded.  “It’s going to be a busy day, making all the arrangements to have you running Yokubari now,” he told Phoebe, “Better get started.”

“And we’ll have dinner together afterward, my treat.  We’ll need our strength for the shameless debauchery afterward!” she said loudly, making sure her aunt could hear.  The demi-Saiyans chuckled as they all walked off together, waving to Leona as she was loaded in the back of a police car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Briefs probably isn’t really Trunks’s family name, since Videl said that most people no longer had family names, but it’s been part of my personal headcanon for over 15 years now so I’m loathe to let it go. Besides, referring to the “Briefs family” is less awkward than “Bulma’s family” or “Trunks’s family.” Also, it let me does the whole “taking each other’s family names” romantic gesture.
> 
> Leona is named after the late, unlamented Leona Helmsley, the “Queen of Mean.” Phoebe is named after actress Phoebe Cates, because that’s what she looks like in my head.
> 
> This is also being posted on FF.net and DeviantArt, so this may be familiar to some of you. More chapters to come.


	2. Scenery

At the end of each day, after business hours but before dinner, Goten and Trunks went back to their room in Capsule Corp. to stretch out on the bed and just relax for a few minutes.  Today was Friday, and this entire week had been so stressful, they collapsed backwards onto the mattress like falling timber.

“Goten?” Trunks said after a minute.

“Yeah?”

“How do you like living here?”

“What, at Capsule?” He had moved in after they had gotten engaged.  “It’s nice, but I’d enjoy living anywhere as long as it was with you.  Why you ask?”

“You are way too sweet,” his husband said with a smile, but then he sighed.  “I’ve been thinking.  It’s just…we work here _and_ we live here.  Everyone else goes home after work, but we just change floors.”

Goten rolled onto his side to look directly at him.  “Need a change of scenery?”

“Yes.  No.  Something like that.  I don’t know.”  He rubbed his face, exasperated at his inability to find the right words, and his stomach growled.

“Well, you can’t think properly on an empty stomach,” Goten mock-chided him.  He reached over and tickled the sensitive spot on his belly that only he knew about.

“Stop it stop it stop it!” Trunks managed to gasp out between giggles, batting at his lover’s hands.  Goten climbed on top of him, straddling him as he kept it up.  Finally, he took mercy and stopped tickling him.  Trunks looked up at him, and as he caught his breath, a familiar look spread over his face.  Goten knew what that look meant Trunks was feeling.  He was feeling it too.

“And there’s other things we can’t do properly on an empty stomach.” He leaned down and kissed him briefly.  “Food first.  Fun later.”

_-S-B-_

“Change of scenery, hm?” Bulma said.  It was the next morning, and the three of them were having coffee together in the atrium, watching all the adopted stray animals that lived there.  The gravity room hummed in the background as Vegeta trained.  “I can understand that.”

“How did you handle it?” Trunks asked his mother.  “You lived and worked here when you were running the company, and you never moved out.”

“Well, I was older when I took over than you are.  I didn’t have so much youthful energy to work out.  You guys haven’t had the same kind of adventures I have, either,” she added thoughtfully.

“We’ve had adventures!” Goten protested.

“I’m not disputing that, but they’re not the same _kind_ ,” she replied gently.  “Yours were mainly fighting.  You didn’t spend about a month of your summer vacation wandering across a continent.  You didn’t spend a month-and-a-half flying through space and trapped on another planet.  You never got a chance to get that wanderlust out of your system.”

“So you think we should take some sort of roadtrip vacation or something?” Trunks asked.  She sipped on her coffee.

“Yes, but not now.  You haven’t been running things long enough to take an extended absence like that yet.  Wait a few years.  But some variety in your lives couldn’t hurt.  I love having you boys here, but maybe moving out would be the best thing for you.  And you could always move back anytime you wanted.”

Trunks nodded.  “We can start looking tomorrow, I guess.  How’s that sound?”

“Sounds good to me.  Yes it does, yes it does, yes it does!”  Goten had scooped up a small theropod dinosaur and was scratching it under the chin, making it hiss in satisfaction.

“I hope Trunks tells you how cute you are,” Bulma told her son-in-law.

“On a daily basis.”

“Good boy,” she said, tousling her son’s hair.

_-S-B-_

It was Sunday afternoon, and Trunks and Goten had just returned from their weekly lunch with Goku and Chi-Chi.  Now they were lying on the floor of one of Capsule Corp.’s supercomputer rooms, a wireless keyboard in front of them.  Every Sunday afternoon, they relived their teenage years and played an hour or two of video games.  But today they were doing something else first.  They were looking at a huge, holographic globe of the world, trying to decide where to live.  Fortunately, the high-speed flight they were capable of meant they didn’t have to worry about the length of the commute.

“Maybe halfway between here and my parents’ house?” Goten suggested.

“Halfway between West City and Mount Paozu,” Trunks muttered as his fingers danced across the keyboard.  A blinking red dot appeared on the globe.  “And that is…in the middle of the desert.”

“Or maybe not.  Uncle Yamcha likes the desert, but…” He didn’t have to finish the sentence.  Neither of them were very fond of hot temperatures.

“Somewhere cooler,” Trunks agreed as he typed some more.  The dot disappeared and reappeared elsewhere.  “North City?”

“That’s definitely cooler.  Maybe too cool,” Goten said, temporarily hijacking the keyboard.  A note popped-up next to the dot.  NORTH CITY – AVERAGE SNOW PER YEAR:  195 INCHES.

“That’s more insane than my dad and your mom put together.”  He drummed his fingers for a moment, then perked up as inspiration struck.  “How about down in the southern islands, near Kame House?”

“Yeah!  Marron could come over anytime she wanted!  We can splash around on the beach and soak up the sun!”

“Then let’s see if we can find a good place next weekend.  I can already tell work this week is going to be easier with that to look forward to.”

“Me too.  But forget about work, it’s play time!”  Goten took the keyboard again and made the globe vanish.  As he pulled up a game, Trunks fetched two wireless controllers.  Before long, everything outside the room was melting away; their worries, their families, the rest of the world.  There was only the two of them, which was really all they ever needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first time Goku visited Capsule Corp., Bulma told him that her father had a soft spot for stray animals, and that he took in cats, dogs, and dinosaurs and basically let them have the run of the place. I see no reason that would change.


	3. Free Day

Goten stretched his arms above and behind his head, shooting a glance at the clock.  This had been a rough week too, and it was only Thursday.  But thankfully the day was almost done, and then it would be Friday, and then after that it would be the weekend and they could start scouting for their new house.

He saved the document he was working on and hit the TALK button on his intercom.  “Trunks, I’ve finished that memo about the new invention royalty program, you wanna take a last look at it before I send it out?”

There was no response.

“Trunks?”

No response.

Frowning in worry, Goten rose and walked back to Trunks’s office in the room behind his.  Opening the door, he saw Trunks slumped in his chair, his head laying on his desk.  Goten’s heart skipped a beat.

Then he heard snoring.  As his pulse started to return to normal, he stood next to his husband, stroking his hair gently.  He knew Trunks had been having trouble sleeping the last few days, but he didn’t think it was this bad.  All the stress of the last two weeks must have really done a number on him.

“Let’s get you to a real bed,” he murmured, picking him up in his arms.  He still didn’t wake up as Goten carried him out of the office and down the hallway.  A few worried employees asked if everything was fine, and he assured them it was.

As he waited for the elevator that would take them to the residential area, Goten looked down at Trunks.  Holding him like this reminded him of their wedding day.  After the reception, they had flown back to Capsule Corp. to pick up a few last things before leaving for their honeymoon.  They had been about to enter the front door when Trunks suddenly stopped…

_-S-B-_

_“Hold on,” Trunks said.  “Now that we’re married, we have to do this right!  We need to do the whole ‘carried-over-the-threshold’ thing.”_

_Goten giggled.  “Who carries who?”_

_That familiar roguish grin spread over Trunks’s face.  “Easy, we take turns, like we do with everything else.”  Sweeping Goten into his arms, he took several large, exaggerated steps inside.  “Welcome home, Son Goten Briefs!” he declared theatrically.  Goten hopped out of his arms, and then they ran back outside._

_“My turn now!” Goten said, caught up in the joy and romance of the moment.  Trunks practically jumped into his embrace, and Goten likewise marched inside with an air of hammy pomposity.  “Welcome home, Son Trunks Briefs!”  Trunks climbed out of his arms, and for a moment the new husbands just smiled at each other._

_Trunks broke the spell with a laugh.  “Look at us, gazing into one another’s eyes like we’re in some cheesy chick flick.  We’re being so sappy you could make maple syrup out of us!”_

_Goten laughed as well.  “We’re being so sweet we could cause problems for diabetics!”_

_-S-B-_

They had kept trying to one-up each other like that the whole time they were at Capsule Corp. and almost until they had reached their honeymoon destination.  That had been a wonderful day.  Their relationship had always been unbreakable, but…had their wedding made it more unbreakable?  _Could_ something that was unbreakable become _more_ unbreakable?  Goten wasn’t sure.  That sounded like one of those philosophical questions that made his head hurt.

Arriving at their living quarters, he laid Trunks down on their bed and removed his shoes, then pulled the sheet up over him.  He kissed his forehead and turned to go, but a strong pair of arms wrapped around his waist.  “Goten,” Trunks murmured drowsily, “Stay.  Please.”

“Of course,” he replied as he took off his own shoes.

As Goten climbed into bed, Trunks pulled him close.  “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Being you.”

“Easier than being anyone else.  I love you.”

“Love…you…too,” Trunks mumbled.  The snoring resumed a moment later.

_-S-B-_

“I can’t take the day off!” Trunks protested from his bed the next morning.

“You can and you will,” Goten said, standing over him.  He was usually quite happy to let his husband have his way, but when he made a decision he felt was important he could be as stubborn as his mother.  “You need rest.”

“But who’ll run the company?”  He tried to sit up and leave the bed, but Goten pushed him onto his elbows again.

“It can run itself for a day.  I’ll e-mail all the vice-presidents and tell ‘em they’re on their own today and not to make any big decisions until Monday.”

“But…but…”

“No buts.”  He folded his arms, and Trunks sighed in defeat, dropping onto his back.

“All right, you win.  Today is a free day.  I’ll try and rest.”

“Good.”  Goten’s normal smile returned.  “I’ll go send that e-mail real quick and then how about we have breakfast in bed together?”

Trunks smiled as well.  “That sounds wonderful,” he conceded.

Breakfast in bed for two demi-Saiyans was a crowded affair, with trays occupying almost every inch of the bed.  Each tray was crammed with plates and cups.  Every now and then one of the lovers would feed the other, but given the speed they were eating at, about half of the delivered food ended up smeared on their faces.  Neither of them minded.  This was great fun.  Finally, all the trays had been emptied and tossed onto the floor, where the housekeeping robots were already picking them up and returning them to the kitchens.  Trunks and Goten collapsed backwards, letting out simultaneous sighs of satisfaction.

“How are you feeling?” Goten asked.

“Much better.  You?”

“Pretty good too.  Whatcha wanna do now?”

Trunks thought for a second.  “Let’s get a little more sleep.  Then we’ll find something fun to do.”

_-S-B-_

After their nap, they did indeed find something fun to do.  They snuggled on a couch together and had a marathon of some their favorite childhood movies, devouring bowls of popcorn and nachos.  They kept going back and forth between making fun of the movies and getting sucked into them just like when they were kids.

Every now and then Vegeta would stomp by, muttering “Lazy brats” in a tone designed to be heard.  They ignored him.  After all, they did still train for a few hours every weekend, enough to keep their power growing.  Maybe it didn’t earn Vegeta’s approval, but then again, so few things did.

When they ended up back in bed together that night, Trunks said, “You were right.  I really needed that free day.”

“If there’s one thing I know about, it’s how to take care of you,” Goten replied.

“You know about a lot more than that,” Trunks admonished gently.  “But yeah, you’re always so good to me.  Now let’s get rested up for our house-hunting trip tomorrow.  Love you, Goten.”

“Love you, Trunks.”

Not long after, the room was filled with the sound of snoring; two different patterns, but blending together so closely as to be almost indistinguishable.


	4. Walking Tour

Their arms wrapped around each other’s waist, Trunks and Goten stood admiring their new house.  It was large enough to hold all their possessions and then some, but not so large they came across as rich snobs showing off their money.

“It looks great,” Goten said.  “I’m looking forward to spending our first night here.”

Trunks nodded. “Before we do, how about we take a walk across the island?  Get to know our new home?  And work up an appetite as we do?”  As they had discussed before, they had ended up choosing one of the southern isles, un-capsulizing their house on a hill in a sparsely populated region.

“Sounds good to me!  Let’s go!”

They descended the hill, and a few minutes’ walk saw them entering a vibrantly colored jungle.  “Wow, look at all this fruit!  I bet it’s delicious,” Goten said.  “We could pick some of it for breakfast each morning!”

“Yeah, but sure it is humid in here,” Trunks said, fanning himself lightly as they made their way down a narrow path, although the term “path” may have been giving it more credit than it deserved; it was really more like a game trail.  Goten smirked and gently elbowed him in the side.

“You’re just looking for an excuse to remove some clothes,” he teased.  His husband was a bit of an exhibitionist.  Before Trunks could respond, some of the bushes next to them started to rustle.  Turning to look, they could see the head of a carnivorous dinosaur just barely protruding from the foliage.  The creature looked like it was about the same size as they were.  “Awww, Trunks!  Look at the raptor!  It’s so cute!  Hey there big guy!  You trying to ambush us? Where are your friends?” Goten waved energetically at the dinosaur, which looked nonplussed.  Once aware of its presence, prey usually either fled or charged.  This was…different.

Meanwhile, Trunks was concentrating.  Yes, now that he was paying attention, he could sense the ki of several other dinosaurs nearby; no doubt the first one’s hunting cohorts.  “Sorry,” he said loudly, “We’ve seen this movie.”  He charged up some weak energy balls in his palms, and threw them into the foliage around them.  There were some startled yelps, and loud crashes as the unseen creatures retreated, soon followed by the dinosaur they could see.

“Aw…goodbye, raptor,” Goten said, waving again.  Trunks smiled to himself.  True, like his grandfather, he had a soft spot for strays, but his husband was on a completely different level when it came to his love for all kinds of animals.  Adorable barely began to describe it.

_-S-B-_

“This looks like a good fishin’ spot!” Goten said.

The journey through the rest of the jungle had been uneventful, and once on the other side they had found a real road to walk along.  Now it had led them to a small lake.

“Well, there’s certainly a lot of fish,” Trunks agreed.  The water was pierced by the dorsal fins of several huge sharks, swimming just under the surface.  “Not sure if they’re the type you go fishing for, though.”

“Ahh, they wouldn’t be any problem for us,” Goten said with a grin.  “And they look like they’d be delicious with some lemon sauce.”

Past the lake they walked by a farm that offered FRESH MILK – DELIVERED DAILY, and then they came to a moderate-sized town, the largest population center on the island.  It was certainly no West City, but it looked like it had almost everything they would need.  And of course, they could always fly somewhere else to get anything it didn’t have.

“What should we check out first?” Goten asked.

“Oh, I think you’re smart enough to know the answer to that already.”

“The restaurants?”

“The restaurants.”

_-S-B-_

They didn’t want to scare the restaurant staff on their first night living there, so they decided that instead of unleashing their full Saiyan appetites on just one establishment, they would go to several and eat a (more-or-less) normal sized meal at each one.  Once that was over, the two of them had taken a brief walking tour of downtown and were now on the way back to their house.  They were holding hands, their fingers intertwined.  For a long time they didn’t say anything.  They didn’t need to; the smiles on their faces spoke volumes.

As they walked through the jungle, one of the bushes rustled.  There was a brief eeping noise, and the sound of something crashing away hurriedly through the underbrush.  Both of them chuckled.  “I think we made an impression,” Trunks said wryly.

Finally, they arrived at the house.  “Thank you for a wonderful night,” Goten said as they went inside.

“You’re always welcome, and thank you for the same,” Trunks replied.  “But the night’s not over yet.”

Goten cocked his head to one side.  “Oh?”

That mischievous twinkle glinted in Trunks’s eyes.  “I can’t speak for you, but I think I still need to burn off some of those calories,” he said as he began to walk toward the bedroom.

Goten laughed.  “No, you’re right, you’re right!  I could definitely use some more…exercise…”  He followed his husband eagerly.  Time to really turn this house into their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The happy couple doesn’t realize it yet, but this is actually the island where Master Roshi trained Goku and Krillin back before their first tournament.


	5. Reminiscing

“So are we going to enter the tournament next month?”  Goten asked.  They were having lunch at a little restaurant in West City before going back to work.  It was a small lunch by their standards, so the table was only covered in three or four layers of plates.

Trunks shrugged.  “I don’t know.  What ‘we’ do is something only ‘we’ can decide together.”

“Ah, you’ll know I’ll do whatever you do.  You go, I’ll go.  You stay, I’ll stay.  You’re the one running things.”

Trunks frowned.  Sometimes Goten had low self-esteem and thought of himself as not very important.  It sounded like those issues were coming up again; he’d have to do something about that.  He reached over the plates and grabbed his husband’s hands.  “Goten,” he said, a firm gentleness in his voice.  “As far as I’m concerned, we both run things.  You’re the other half of me.  The most important person in my life.  We decide things together.”

Goten smiled and squeezed his hands, a gentle blush lighting up his cheeks.  “Trunks…all right, then, should we go?”

“Well, it’s always entertaining.  The atmosphere, the crowds, and of course the fighting.”

“Seeing the new entrants are fun.  What they’re like and what they can come up with.”

“But if we want to compete with a real chance of winning, we’d have to put in some serious training.  And like Mom said, we haven’t been in charge long enough yet to take a vacation that long.  So if we do sign up, it’d just be fighting for fun.”

“I’m fine with that.”

“So am I.  But if we don’t go, or enter just for fun, you know what we’ll be hearing.”

Goten cleared his throat, then did his best impression of his father-in-law.  “Brat!  You’re not taking your training seriously!  You’re getting soft, spending too much time swooning in Goten’s arms!”

Trunks then imitated _his_ father-in-law.  “You need to go!  And you really need to work at it!  Nah, it doesn’t matter that you have to help Trunks manage the world’s largest company!  That’s not important!”

They looked at each other for several heartbeats, then dissolved into laughter.

_-S-B-_

That night, they were lying in bed together, watching TV.  During a commercial, Goten said, “I think we should go.”

“The tournament?  How come?”  Trunks asked, glancing down at his husband.

Goten smiled up at him.  “So many happy memories.”  Trunks smiled as well, those memories filling his mind.  The Junior Championship…fighting with the adults under the guise of Mighty Mask…but there was one real stand-out

A month before the last tournament, they had been wandering through the rolling fields of the Son family land, talking about this and that, but things had ended up taking a different direction.  They had ended up confessing the romantic feelings they had recently developed for one another.

They had made love for the first time in those grassy hills, and many more times in the days that had followed.  And then came the tournament itself.  They had ended up facing one another in the final round, engaging in a very evenly-matched fight.  In fact, they were so evenly matched, they had run out the time limit without being able to defeat one another, and the judges had been forced to choose a winner.  But the judges had been unable to; they had been _that_ perfectly matched.  So the two of them had been named co-champions, the first time such a thing had ever happened in the history of the tournament.

When that had been announced, they had still been waiting around in the ring, and they had taken each other in a tight hug.  Just two best friends celebrating.  But then they had gotten caught up in the rush of the moment, the rush of emotions, and had pressed their lips together, making out passionately for several seconds.  And that was how the world had found out about their relationship.

That was how their _parents_ had found out about their relationship.

Goku and Bulma, although surprised, had been completely supportive.  So had their older brothers.  Chi-Chi and Vegeta had been…less enthusiastic…but had come around remarkably quickly.

Trunks’s eyes flicked to the wall, where the front page of a newspaper was framed and hanging.  There was a large photograph of the two of them kissing in the ring, and above it, a headline that read A COUPLE OF CHAMPIONS.

“Very happy memories,” he agreed.  “You’re right, we should go.  And after all, the defending champions really should show up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, “older brothers” isn’t a typo. I have Mirai Trunks back in the happy timeline, living there permanently. He’ll probably show up at some point in a future chapter. (Also, this fic pretty much completely ignores all the events of SUPER).


	6. Another Tourney Night

They had a love/hate relationship with the paparazzi.  They tended to follow them everywhere and made it almost impossible to have a quiet, inconspicuous time out in public.  The press had even started to camp outside their new home, until Trunks had threatened to buy the publications they worked for and fire them all.  That had given them a little privacy.

On the other hand, they did enjoy the attention, albeit for different reasons.

After his father had returned from the dead, Goten had struggled to get out from his shadow and be seen as more than “Goku Jr.”  But as he and Trunks had grown up, being the best friend of the rich, handsome Capsule heir, as well as being the Great Saiyaman’s brother, had made him into a minor celebrity (being quite attractive in his own right certainly hadn’t hurt).  Once their romance had become public, his status and fame had skyrocketed, and now that they were married they were considered West City’s biggest, most famous “power couple.”  He had to confess he liked having time in the spotlight that had nothing to do with his dad.

As for Trunks, he would be the first to admit that he had an exhibitionist streak.  He was by no means a narcissist, but he did like to show off.  He had persuaded Goten to go with him to a nude beach a few times.  Not only had he done nothing to dissuade the paparazzi from taking pictures, he had actively encouraged them, cheerfully waving and posing while his husband had chuckled in playful exasperation (although, as Trunks reminded him later, he did a little posing himself).  Sometimes he even considered “accidentally” leaking one of their sex tapes, with Goten’s consent of course.

_-S-B-_

So it was that they had mixed feelings upon arriving at the tournament and almost immediately being swarmed by journalists and camera operators.

“Over here, over here!”

“Mr. Son-Briefs!  Er, both of you!”

“Just one question—”

“Do you have time for—”

They waved and smiled and nodded vaguely, but mostly ignored them and tried to gently push their way past them, towards the stadium.  They didn’t have much luck until Vegeta joined them.  He grabbed reporters and started tossing them over his shoulder.  The rest of them got the message and quickly dispersed.

_-S-B-_

Later that night, the two of them staggered back into their bedroom, stripping their clothes off and collapsing into bed.  Glancing at each other, they exchanged weary smiles.  They were tired, aching, covered in bruises, and hadn’t made it past the semi-finals, but they’d had a great time.  They began to cuddle, but winced and quickly pulled away.  They were still too sore to really stand any body contact at the moment.

“That _was_ fun,” Trunks said after several seconds.  “Thanks for convincing me we should go.”

“Thanks for deciding to go,” Goten replied.  “It wouldn’t have been fun without you.  Hardly anything is fun without you.”

“Exactly my sentiments regarding you.  See you in the morning.”

“See you then.”

_-S-B-_

When they woke up the next day, they discovered that during their sleep, they had ended up cuddling after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry if anyone was looking forward to some action at the tournament, but writing fight scenes really isn’t my strong suit. Maybe in a later chapter where action is more central.


	7. Three

As the work day was ending, Trunks had received a last minute phone call, so he’d told Goten it was all right to leave without him.  The call had dragged on longer than he’d expected, and it had been almost twenty minutes before he could leave.

Now he was finally home. On the way to the kitchen, he blinked in surprise. He could feel his husband’s ki, but there was something else there as well, something small and delicate.

“Goten?” he called as he entered the kitchen. There was his husband, leaning against the island, and curled up in his arms…

Goten beamed at him. “Look who I found,” he whispered. He was cradling a kitten, a small ball of black and brown fur.

“I hope that’s not dinner,” Trunks said with a soft smirk, leaning down to look at it closer. It looked back at him with wide blue eyes.

“Oh, shush you,” Goten chided gently. “When I got here, she was hanging around the front door, mewing. I looked around but I didn’t see her mommy or daddy, so I brought her in.”

Trunks’s smirk melted into a smile. He’d inherited a soft spot for stray animals from his grandfather, who let cats, dogs, and dinosaurs pretty much have the run of Capsule Corp. But it was nothing compared to Goten, who’d never met an animal he didn’t love. His heart had enough room for an entire biosphere.

“Can we keep her?”

“Maybe,” Trunks said, holding out his palm and letting the kitten sniff it. “We’ll have to check around and see if it belongs to anyone else around here. Or maybe its mom or dad will show back up. But otherwise, I don’t see why not. Have you fed it?”

“Mmhmm. Gave her some of the chicken from yesterday. She gobbled it all down.”

Trunks laughed. “I think she’ll fit right in.”

_-S-B-_

Trunks returned to the house; he had been visiting their neighbors to see if any of them knew anything about the kitten. “No luck. Any sign of her parents?”

Goten shook his head. “No, nothing.” He was watching the small bunch of fuzz, who was currently curled up asleep on a blanket in the middle of a cardboard box.

“Well, unless they show up, I guess we have ourselves a kitten.” He took his husband’s hand, giving it a little squeeze. “Any ideas for a name?”

Goten thought for a moment. “Beerus?”

Trunks shot him a look. “No,” he said flatly.

_-S-B-_

Beerus, a purple cat/jackal/thing, had been the most dangerous threat to the world since Majin Buu. Accompanied by his attendant Whis, he had appeared several years ago, claiming to be a “God of Destruction.” He had demanded to see a “Super Saiyan God,” or else he’d destroy the planet. When they’d told him they didn’t know what he was talking about, a fierce battle had ensued.

It had been a close thing. Goku, Vegeta, Buu, and Piccolo had all fought him, and each had fallen in their turn. Goten and Trunks had tried as well, but Gotenks had fared no better. Fortunately, their failure had proven inspiring.

Trunks’s counterpart, several years older, and from a dark timeline ravaged by androids, had moved permanently to this world sometime beforehand, taking up the name “Mirai.” He and Gohan had seen their “little brothers” perform the Fusion Dance time after time. Now, spurred on by Gotenks, they had put that experience to good use, following in their footsteps.

The resulting fusion, one of unparalleled might, had overwhelmed Beerus, and when the attendant had tried to aid his master, Whis as well. Just before finishing them off, he had asked if their desire to see a “Super Saiyan God” had been satisfied.

Vegeta had taken Beerus’s head—the face displaying a very shocked expression—and hung it on the wall of his gravity room.

_-S-B-_

“Just kidding,” Goten said with a giggle, giving Trunks a quick kiss. “I guess we’ll have to think of a good name for her.”

“Well, there’s no rush,” Trunks said, giving her fur some gentle strokes. She continued to sleep, shifting minutely. “Let’s see, I guess we’ll have to make a shopping trip tomorrow. Food…litter and a box…”

The two of them looked at each other. “ _You_ take litter box duty,” they said simultaneously, and then laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the one and only reference I’ll make to DRAGON BALL SUPER or anything related to it.


End file.
